The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-04-05
ONLY i CLERK.
Who Made the Most Of His LOwly
Position.

Mr. Thomas Mathers was only led
ger clerk ia the banking firm OF Hodg-
son. DunfOrd a. Parr, St. Swithin's
ianr. Lombard street 1t was neither
a very responsible nor a very lucrative
position. and Tommy (as all his friends
called him) longed, as perhaps fifty
thousand young men in similar situa-
ton in London are longing at this mo-
ment, for a chance of turning his brains
Ia better account than adding up col
umns of figures and copying entries
from one big book into another. The
chance did not come, but Tommy did
not despair: and there was this differ
encc between him and the great ma iOr-
ity of his fellow-priSoucrS of the desk
he had the pluck to work away man.
fully at whatever he thought might pos
sibly some day help him to better his
position. even though he could not see
exactly how it WAS To be done. With
this end in view he got mp in French,
German and Italian: and he did every
thing he could to pick up Information
as to the financial circumstances of the
customers of the bank. lie <crapcd &C.
quaintance with every clerk employed
by those who had accounts at the bank,
a. far ~ lac possibly could, and picked
up ia time an idea more or less accurate
rs 10 the commercial status of the most
of them.
One day he happened TO be at lunch
I'm his favorite restaurant, when an az
guaintance named Darling came in and
sal down beside him. After little cas-
nal conversation Darling asked him to
let him know of any vacant clerkShip
he might hear of.
- will. certainly, old fellow " re-
turned Tommy. '.hut hope You haven't
got into a row with Appleton. Erred
erick Appleton was DarIing'~ brother
in-iaw and he WAS also the secretary of
the Mudford and County Chemical
Company. in whose counting-houSe
young Darling had Il subordinate post.
''Oh. no. nothing of the kind, re-
turned Darling: and then be changed
the subject.
GA hi- WAY back to the bank after
lunch. Math.r> asked himself why
Darlin" should leave his present Situa-
ton. He had q capital prospect there,
his !rothcr-in-law being the secretary;
and there was no disagreement between
him and his influential relative. Could
il hc that Darling had had hint from
hi> bro;hcr-in-law that the Chemical
Company was getting into shallow
water. and that il bchooYed him To he
lookin" out for another situation? 1t
seemed more than likely; and Young
MathrrS determined To act at once
He slipped into the bank parlur that
afternoon, hoping To find the Junior
partner. Mr. Parr. good-natured sort
of man. who WAS not likely to snub
him for volunteering Information. To
his disappointment he found only Mr.
Hodg>on, a sour-tempered old man.
who WAS struggling into his overcoat,
preparatory to leaving the office for the
day.
Well" growled the banker. what
do Won want?''
81 heard something to-day. sir. he
replied. THAT made me think that the
Mudford Company are not in very
good way"
.'Well, what of that? what's that to
me9''
Nothing, sif; only thought there
was no harm in letting YOU know"
Amy thing of that kind YOU can say
tn Mr. Parkinson" answered the old !
gentleman as he seized his umbrella
ami waddled down the passage
Tommy felt snubbed; but hr did not
mind that much. He had done what .
he wanted, brought himself under the
personal notice of one of the partners. !
If he had given the hint Ia Parkinson, /
the head cashier. Parkinson. not he, !
would have had all the credit 1T. He !
retired to his place among the other ,
clerks little sore AT the rebuff. Vet not /
entirely dissatisfied. On his WAY home
Mr.. Hodgson remembered that the .
bank held some shares of the Mudford
Chemical Company as security for the
BALANCE of the account of on,. of their